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Monthly Archives: March 2018

The Wichita Manufacturer’s Association (WMA) is a Chamber affiliate that encourages students to pursue manufacturing careers. The organization offers scholarships for those planning to study manufacturing at any technical college, community college or state college/university in Kansas.

The scholarship program was created in 1993 to support the educational and training opportunities that develop better manufacturing interest, methods and employees. The organization distributed a record number of 24 scholarships last year. Complete and return this year’s application before March 30 to be eligible for one of their $1,000 scholarships towards tuition or related education expenses.

All applicants will be notified of results in April. Scholarships are awarded for the academic year starting in the fall.

Everyone was a hoopster during Tourney Week. The Wichita Thunder’s mascot, TDog, scored big time with this winning image.

Wichita celebrated March Madness in style last week as the community hosted the first and second rounds of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. Our thanks to all the tourney planners and organizers who did an extraordinary job of securing the event and then rolling out the red carpet for tournament fans, officials, coaches and players. They made Wichita shine and all of our visitors feel welcome!

We’re rooting for the teams who are still playing and enjoying all the highs and lows associated with March Madness. And we’re still cheering for the over-sized basketball hoop and Wichita flag backboard in front of the Chamber building that was installed by Luminous Neon Inc. Art & Sign Systems to celebrate the event. This engineering marvel easily withstood several earthquakes in early March and strong wind gusts that peaked at 51 mph around Wichita on March 6. It was definitely built to last.

Alison Percy from the Chamber did a crossover dribble before posting a basket and a picture during tourney week.

Tournament fans have been taking videos and photos in front of the three-dimensional display showing off their best basketball moves since it went up in late February. Some of the images have been posted and shared on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Wichita Mayor Jeff Longwell was the first person to stop by and take a picture on the day it was installed. Area team mascots like TDog from the Wichita Thunder, Heartyandme with the American Heart Association and Baby Jay from the University of Kansas School of Medicine also posted pictures and videos. Congressman Ron Estes shot some hoops in front of the Chamber last weekend and posted a picture on Facebook that he also included in his constituent newsletter. And it’s been a unique backdrop for reporters covering the tournament.

Last week’s social media contest sponsored by Luminous Neon awarded daily winners on Twitter and Instagram who posted images with the hoops display. They earned gift cards from Chamber member restaurants located in the downtown area. Our congratulations to these winners and our thanks to Luminous Neon for their contest sponsorship.

Although it’s tempting to keep it in place until the NCAA Tournament returns to Wichita in 2021, our giant hoop and backboard are scheduled for removal when the tourney ends. Until then, keep showing us your basketball fever Wichita. We love seeing and sharing your #ILoveWichita posts.

Our partners at Luminous Neon had so much fun developing our over-sized basketball hoop and backboard that they are sponsoring a social media contest next week to generate more NCAA tourney excitement. The rules are pretty simple and there are daily gift card prizes to Chamber member eateries.

So get creative and snap a photo in front of the Chamber with our giant basketball hoop and backboard when you’re downtown. Then post your image between March 11 and 17 to welcome NCAA fans, coaches and players. All the official rules are shown below.

SHOW US YOUR MOVES!– Post your picture with our giant basketball hoop and backboard at 350 West Douglas on either Twitter or Instagram (or both) from 1 a.m. on March 11 through midnight on March 17.

– Tag @chamberwichita and include #ilovewichita in every post.

– One $30 gift card will be awarded daily to one winner on Twitter and one on Instagram. Winners chosen randomly every 24 hours.

– Contestants must have a public profile to participate.

– The promotion complies with all Twitter and Instagram content regulations and contest rules including only one Twitter post per day per person and Instagram winners must be at least 13 years of age.

– Chamber employees and employees of their affiliates are not eligible for prizes.

Follow the Chamber on Instagram and Twitter to see all the creative contest entries. And keep using the #ilovewichita hashtag to welcome our NCAA guests and to highlight all the great things they can experience in Wichita.

It’s official. The Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce has announced the finalists for the 2018 Small Business of the Year award. This is the 14th year for the Small Business Awards program, which is presented by the 2017 award recipients: Mahaney Roofing Company and The Monarch.

In addition to offering well-deserved recognition to small businesses for their achievements and contributions to our community, the program provides owners and their employees the opportunity to showcase their company, share their story, and be rewarded for their efforts.

“Small businesses are at the heart of our community, with more than 80% of our members falling into the small business category,” Chamber President Gary Plummer said. “This program is one of the ways we can recognize the outstanding companies that are creating jobs, giving back to Wichita and making this a stronger community. Congratulations to each of these finalists.”

The award program is split into two categories: Tier One, for companies with 25 employees or less; and Tier Two, for companies with between 26 and 100 employees.

More than 120 small businesses were nominated for the award, and 18 completed the application process. The finalists will be featured at a Sunrise Scrambler event on April 11, and an Awards Luncheon will be held on May 23 to announce this year’s winners.

To apply for the award, companies must be headquartered in Wichita, have been in business at least three years, and be Chamber members. Applicants are then evaluated on their business success, employee relations and community contributions.

More information about the Small Business Awards program and a complete list of past winners can be found at wichitachamber.org/awards.